While parents may think deeply about what to call their offspring, name trends over the decades reveal the truth: we are deeply impacted by the names around us. The Spinoff digs into the data. 

Each January, the Department of Internal Affairs releases the top 100 names given to baby boys and girls in New Zealand the year prior. It’s a curious glimpse into how trends come and go, with Sophie and Ruby giving way to Isla and Charlotte, Noah and Luca taking over from Oliver and Jack. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a massive spreadsheet containing every name given to 10 or more babies per year, going all the way back to 1900. We dived in to find how naming conventions have changed over the years, and how much influence the names parents see and hear around them have on what they call their kids. 

But names are also impacted by a desire to be different. For instance, many of the favourite boys’ names over the decades are from the Bible, which remained the case until 2000. Names popular in the 1960s and 70s were from the New Testament, like Peter, Stephen, Mark and Paul. But by 1990, there were more names from the Old Testament, like Joshua, Daniel, Samuel and Benjamin. 

Meanwhile girls’ names always demonstrate slightly more diversity, with the most popular girls’ names almost always being given to fewer babies than the top boys’ names. The gap is closing; in 1950, there were 1,403 Johns to 702 Margarets. In 2025 there were 244 Noahs and 179 Islas. 

Over time, name diversity has increased, with the top names of each year being given to fewer babies, even though the population has risen overall.

The top names continue to be British-sounding names, even as diversity has increased. A historical view shows how names have changed – like William and Charlotte, names of similar popularity in 2025 that have appeared almost every year since 1990. 

Popular names don’t always make the top-10 decade lists included in the charts above. Sometimes a significant name moment is smaller – a name appearing on the list in one yaer where the name had never been seen before. Even a few dozen names, like the “Keishas” born in the eight years after Keisha Castle-Hughes starred in Whale Rider, can show how people are influenced by a trend. Here’s a few we could spot. 

MUSIC

Moana 

The name “Moana” has appeared in 63 of the 126 years since 1900. Counterintuitively, its popularity wasn’t particularly affected by the 2016 Disney movie Moana – just 17 babies called Moana were born in 2020, four years later. Instead, one of its most popular years was 1974, when 50 Moanas had their births registered. That was four years after John Rowles’ song ‘Cheryl Moana Marie’ was released, inspired by the New Zealand crooner’s sister. That same year, there were 58 Cheryls and 54 Maries. 

Jolene 

Dolly Parton’s country hit was released in late 1973, and by the following year, New Zealand parents were naming their newborns after the eponymous temptress, though it isn’t known whether said babies came into the world sporting flaming locks of auburn hair. Jolene made its first appearance on the list in 1974, coming in at number 109, with 57 babies given the moniker. In 1975, 75 baby Jolenes were born, sending Jolene shooting up to, believe it or not, number 75. Jolene continued making appearances through the late 70s and 80s, but hasn’t been seen on the list since 1990.

Angie

Another classic song-with-woman’s-name-as-title was released in 1973: the Rolling Stones’ ‘Angie’. Its full form, Angela, had been a regular in the top 10 since 1967, but Angie made its first appearance on the list in 1974, with 10 baby Angies born. It peaked in 1976 as the 188th most popular girls’ name, when 26 baby girls were called Angie, and returned each year until 1981, thereafter never to be seen again.

Mariah

Mariah first showed up on the list in 1991, the year after Mariah Carey released her first album. Her iconic Christmas album was released in 1994, and the name peaked in 1996 when 19 Mariahs were born, the year after Carey’s fifth studio album Daylight came out (featuring such bangers as ‘Fantasy’ and ‘Always Be My Baby’). 

Britney

Britney first appeared on the list in 1996, when 10 baby Britneys were born – perhaps to parents who were diehard Mickey Mouse Club fans? It dropped out until 1999, when 40 Britneys came into the world – ‘Baby One More Time’ had been released the year prior. Britney peaked in 2000 (62 baby Britneys), just as Britney Spears was peaking in the charts with ‘Oops… I did it again’. In 2001, 31 Britneys came into the world, but Britney declined after that, last making an appearance on the list in 2004. 

Aaliyah

RnB singer and actress Aaliyah was at the height of her fame when she was killed in a plane crash in August 2001, aged just 22. The year before, her eponymous album had come out and she was starring in Romeo Must Die on the big screen. Aaliyah entered the baby names list for the first time in 2001, going straight into the top 100 at number 79. It peaked in 2002 at number 42 and has stayed in the top 100 pretty consistently ever since. 

Shakira

Shakira’s first big hit ‘Whenever Wherever’ came out in 2002, and Shakira came in hot as a baby name in Aotearoa that year, debuting at number 82, with 49 baby Shakiras born. It dropped out of the top 100 in 2003, but 25 babies were still named Shakira and in 2004, there were 18. Shakira didn’t meet the threshold for inclusion again until 2007, when 15 Shakiras were born – ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ had been a smash hit in 2006. 

Delta

Delta entered the list in 2004 when 10 babies were given that name, the year after Aussie teenager Delta Goodrem had a hit with ‘Born to Try’. It appeared again in 2013 (11 babies) but hasn’t been seen since.

Kanye

Kanye showed up in 2006, with 24 baby Kanyes being born. Kanye West’s Late Registration had come out the year prior. In 2007, 12 Kanyes entered the world, but Kanye has not been seen since, which is probably not surprising given the rapper soon after revealed himself to be a massive dick. 

Kendrick

Kendrick first showed up in 2015, the same year that Kendrick Lamar released To Pimp a Butterfly, peaking in 2017 when 15 baby Kendricks entered the world. It hung on until 2021, but hasn’t been seen since. Drake, if you’re wondering, has had two appearances, in 2011 and 2012. 

Billie

After some cameos in the 1990s, the name “Billie” rose in popularity for girls through the 2000s. There were 45 Billies in 2016, and 82 in 2025. The jump in popularity occurred as singer Billie Eilish rose to fame, with her breakout album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? released in 2018. 

TV AND MOVIES

Keisha

The name “Keisha” doesn’t appear at all until 2004, two years after Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Whale Rider. The 39 2002 Keishas were the peak of the name’s popularity, and the name hasn’t appeared in the list since 2010. 

Khloe

The unorthodox spelling of this classic name was of course popularised by the youngest Kardashian sister (not including Kendall and Kylie because they’re Jenners, duh). In New Zealand the name first appeared on the list in 2010 when 42 Khloes were born, and by 2012 it had cracked the top 100, with 55 baby Khloes entering the world. At the time, Khloe K had a couple of spinoff shows in addition to the original Keeping Up With the Kardashians juggernaut she starred in with her family. Khloe began declining after this but held on to double digits, before dropping out entirely in 2021. (Kourtney has never made the list, but Kendall had a brief resurgence from 2012-2016, after some initial 90s popularity.)

Arya

Arya first showed up in 2013, when 27 baby Aryas were born. Arya “stick em with the pointy end” Stark first appeared on our screens in Game of Thrones in 2011 and the name peaked in Aotearoa in 2015, when 30 Aryas were born – the same year our heroine began training with those creepy Faceless Men in Braavos. Sadly, no other Game of Thrones-related names have ever reached the double-digit threshold required to make the list (unlike in America).

Elsa

Elsa makes an early appearance in the list, with 10 Elsas born in 1913, and a handful following through the 1910s and 1920s. After a long absence, it reappears a century later, with 24 Elsas in 2014, their parents likely inspired by the 2013 Disney hit Frozen, in which Elsa is the heroine. 

Taika

New Zealand actor and director Taika Waititi was born in 1975, but the name doesn’t appear until 2014, when 10 Taikas were born. What We Do in the Shadows, co-written by Waititi, was released in 2013, and Waititi became even more famous after directing Hunt for the Wilderpeople in 2016 and Thor: Ragnarok in 2017. There were 16 Taikas in 2018, and 34 in 2022. 

CELEBRITIES’ KIDS

Brooklyn 

The name Brooklyn first appeared in the list for boys in 2000, and has returned every year since. Its appearance matches the birth of Brooklyn Beckham in 1999, when his parents David and Victoria, who have been mainstays of the tabloids for the last quarter century, were at the height of their fame. It peaked in 2010, with 64 Brooklyns born across Aotearoa. It’s yet to be seen if more Beckham drama will mean more Brooklyns enter the world in 2026, or whether celebrity controversy spells the end for this popular name. 

Maddox

Actress Angelina Jolie adopted her son Maddox from Cambodia in 2002, and the name first appeared in the list in 2005, when the then mohawked toddler was frequently photographed with his famous mother and her boyfriend Brad Pitt (who would adopt him the following year). Maddox has appeared every year since, peaking in 2017 (the year Jolie and Pitt broke up) when 32 babies were given the name. (Similar trends followed the births of Jolie’s children Shiloh and Knox.)

SPORTSPEOPLE

Annelise

Our only Winter Olympic medallist for 26 years, Annelise Koberger became a New Zealand hero after taking the silver in slalom in France in 1992. That year, Annelise showed up in the list for the first time, with 19 babies given the name. 

Danyon

Danyon made its first appearance on the list in 1993, the year after swimmer Danyon Loader nabbed a silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics. Danyon peaked in 1996, when 27 Danyons were born – the same year Loader was peaking at the Atlanta Olympics, setting world records and taking home two golds. Danyon didn’t appear again until 2012, the same year Loader starred in an online video supporting same-sex marriage. 

Jonah

Jonah Lomu became the youngest All Black ever when he made his debut in 1994 against France aged 19. That same year, Jonah debuted on the list, with 13 baby Jonahs born. The following year, when Lomu was soaring to fame by trampling over Englishmen at the World Cup, there were 18 newborn Jonahs. Jonah peaked in 2016, the year after Lomu’s untimely death from a heart attack linked to kidney disease, with 24 baby Jonahs born.

Beauden

As All Black Beauden Barrett was named world rugby player of the year in 2016, Beauden shot into the top 100, with 55 Beaudens earning it the 95th spot. The following year Beauden climbed to number 84, with 70 Beaudens born, before dropping out in 2019 as Barrett took a couple of sabbaticals in Japan. Beauden made a return last year, coming in at number 80, just as Barrett returned to New Zealand rugby.